Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	israel_n	lord_n	redemption_n	2,132	5	10.1091	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B05842	A discourse on the love of Christ, by William Sheppard, A.M. and minister of the Gospel at Oundle in Northamptonshire.	Sheppard, William, d. 1724.	1695 (1695)	Wing S3219B; ESTC R184080	27,366	32

and to be with Christ Moriar Domine ut te videam nolo vivere volo mori August Let me die Lord that I may see thee I will not live I will die Make haste my Beloved and be like to a roe or hart on the mountains of spices Cant. 8. ult Come Lord Jesus Come quickly Note Because I would not discourage the weakest Believer You may take notice That Love may be consider'd in the spark or in the flame and that this last Particular speaks Love rather in the flame 5. A true Lover of Christ thinks nothing too much to doe nothing too much to suffer for Christ 1. Nothing too much to doe for Christ Lovers think they can never doe too much for one another Gen. 29. 20. Jacob served seven Years for Rachel and they seemed but as a few Days for the Love he had to her A Beloved of Christ thinks he can never Pray too much Hear too much Doe too much in the Work of Christ Is it not otherwise with thee Thou think'st thou can'st never doe too much for the World Is not this thy Character we read of Eccles 4. 8 There is no end of all his labours for the World Plowing Sowing Riding Running Carking Caring for the World early and late thou never thinkest this too much but thou takest little Pains for Christ If one hour will not serve for the World thou wilt rise sooner But I appeal to thy own Heart when did'st thou an hour the earlier for Prayer to cry to God for a Christ Thou art soon weary of these and thinkest it more adoe than needs This speaks little Love to Christ 2. Nothing too much to suffer for Christ 1. He thinks not too much to suffer Reproaches for Christ Heb. 11. 26. He accounts them his Riches Glory 1 Pet. 4. 14. He thinks not too much to suffer Losses for Christ loss of Goods of Good Name Heb. 10. ●4 He believes he shall be no Loser by it Mat. 19. 29. He hath this Principle rooted in his Heart That he may lose much for Christ but shall never lose by Christ 3. He thinks it not too much to suffer Death for Christ Rev. 12. 11. They loved not their Lives unto the death Act. 21. 13. 6. A true Lover of Christ is exceedingly cast-down at the withdrawings of Christ and solaced with the returns of Christ 1. He is exceedingly cast-down at the withdrawings of Christ All his Peace and Comfort is gone when Christ is gone The Spouse lost Christ He withdrew himself And how was it with her Her Soul failed she was as swooning dying As Jacob's life was bound up in the Lad's life so is a Believer's life and all the comforts of it in Christ He saith as Absolon when shut out from his Father's Presence Let me die if I may not see his face so saith the Beloved of Christ And I have heard some Souls crying out most hideously under Divine Withdrawings Oh I cannot bear these Withdrawings I cannot live without God's Presence I had rather die a thousand Deaths than be in this Condition Woe Woe Woe is me I sojourn in Mesech and dwell in the Tents of Kedar Thou Soul that knowest not what these things mean can'st read these in thine Heart whatever thy Doubtings and Mis-givings of Heart may be about thy love to Christ thou may'st look upon them as Evidences of it let not Satan rob thee of thy peace and comfort be not faithless but believing and believing rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory But if thou that readest these lines art one that can endure distance from God you cannot bear distance from Friends and those you love but it is a great disquiet to you but you can be without God and it never troubles you let not Satan gull thee nor thy Heart deceive thee for I tell thee from the Lord That thou hast not the least spark of Saving Love to Christ 2. He is exceedingly revived rejoyced at the returns of Christ He saith as Mephibosheth Let him take all since my Lord is come back Let Worldlings take the World so I may have Christ Let Profane Ones take their Lusts so I may love Christ let Voluptuous Ones take their Pleasures so I may have Christ let Ambitious Ones take their Honours so I may have Christ I have enough The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places yea I have a goodly heritage Psal 16. 5 6. Return to thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee Psal 116. 6 7. Use 4. What Encouragement is here for poor awakened Soul●● that are distressed for a Christ Oh here is a Jesus full of love matchless love away to him He is all love to coming Souls he is all wrath to Unbelievers to Sinners that stand it out against him he saith Those mine Enemies that will not come bring hither and 〈◊〉 before me But he is all love to coming souls he stands with open Arms ready to receive them his Heart is full of love Hands full of love Come poor Sinners here is my Blood my Love my Purchases my Benefits all for thee away with all your doubts and fears do not dispute your selves out of Christ Obj. Oh but I am vile so vile I dare not come Ans What if thou art never so vile if Christ hath love enough to swallow up all thy vileness then this need not hinder thy coming to Christ his love is infinite boundless bottomless thy sin is but the sin of a finite Creature his love is the love of an Infinite God Jer. 3. 12 13 14. Go and proclaim these words and say Return thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon thee for I am merciful saith the Lord. God gives Commission to his Ministers to go and proclaim That if Sinners will come to him they shall have Mercy Soul this I have commission from the Lord to tell thee That if thou wilt come in to the Lord thou shalt have Mercy the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Obj. Oh but I am a great Sinner If I were not so great a Sinner I could hope Ans What if thy sins are never so great if the love of Christ be greater Isa 1. 18. Come saith the Lord and though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool As if he had said Let your Sins be never so great of never such a Crimson dye yet if you will but come you shall have Mercy Though thy sins have weaken'd the Law and made that unable to save thee yet it hath not weaken'd Christ Rom. 8. 3. Christ came to doe that which the Law could not doe Heb. ● 25. 26 That Text tells you That he is able to the uttermost to save those that come Christ is able to the uttermost of your sins to the uttermost of your doubts and fears neither quantity nor

He took their Nature their Sins their Curse their Wrath their Hell He fulfilled the Law he satisfied Divine justice He pray'd he mourn'd he liv'd he died for them Lo how he loved them 2. Christ's Love to Believers is a Free Love 1. Undeserved Love Ezek. 16. 3 4 5 6 8. They were polluted in their Blood and when they were in their Bloud Christ said to them Live And why Why it was a time of Love Tit. 3. 3 4 5 6 7. They were also sometimes as well as others foolish disobedient deceived serving divers Lusts and Pleasures c. It was the meer Kindness and Love of God appeared to them justifying them freely by his Grace Rom. 3. 24. 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. We can provoke him to Wrath but not move God to Love it ariseth from Himself God's Chusing Calling Justifying Adopting Saving Love is all free undeserved Love 2. Undesired Love Isai 65. 1. This is the Voice of the Lord I am sought of them that asked not for me I am found of them 〈◊〉 sought me not Not so much as a Prayer What could be less tha● a little Breath to shew there was nothing done to procure th●● Love It is Free Love 3. Christ's Love to Believers is a singular Love a distinguishing Love It is not to all but to some not to many but a 〈◊〉 Amos 3. 2. You only have I known Jer. 3. 14. One of a city two 〈◊〉 family two in a bed the one taken and the other left the 〈◊〉 band taken and the Wife left the Wife taken and the Husban● left the Child taken and the Parents left Oh this makes it 〈◊〉 nishing Love Joh. 14. 22 Believer Dost not thou find this 〈◊〉 Love ravish thy Heart Doth not thy Heart burn within thee whilst thou readest these Lines 4. The Love of Christ to Believers is a Sincere Love a True Unfeigned Cordial Love His Heart is in it Cant. 4. 9. It is Christ's Voice to his Spouse his Heart was set upon her even to Ravishment so it is upon every sincere Believer And it will appear to be no counterfeit Love if you consider what he hath done what he hath suffer'd for them A greater Demonstration he could not give than his Dying for them Joh 15. 3● 5. Christ's Love to Believers is a Superlative Love a Love of the Highest degree a Love above a●● above all his above his Glory for he left it for them above his Life for he laid it down for them a Love above all other a Love to the Believer above all other Persons to pass by thousands and love thee a Love above all other Love to lay down his Life and that not for a near dear choice Friend but a vile wicked cruel Enemy I never heard nor read but of one in all my Life that lay'd down his Life for another and that was a Child for his Father A Citizen of Toledo being condemn'd to die his Son offer'd to die for him and was accepted This was a Child for his Father not an Enemy nor an ordinary Friend but the best of Friends a Father But Christ died not for a Father a Friend but an Enemy a Wretch a Rebel Rom. 5. 8 10. 6. Christ's Love to Believers is an Insuperable Love a Love that nothing can pose No Difficulty that Christ met with could pose it When Christ had undertook and God stood upon the fulfilling all Righteousness and satisfying Justice to the full that after he had by his active Obedience done all that could be required there must be passive Obedience too yet Christ did not shrink at this neither and after he had suffer'd much many Indignities from Men and Severities from God as in the Garden he sweat Drops of Blood yet it must come to his Life He did not spare that neither Joh. 15. 13. Was there ever any love like unto this love Certainly we may say here as David of Jonathan Thy love passed the love of women 7. Christ's Love to Believers is an inseparable Love Here are Two things 1. It is Constant Love Men will love to day and hate to morrow but when once God sets his Love upon a Soul he never takes it off more where he loves he always loves whatsoever their Carriage is towards Him when they deserve to be hated whatsoever His Carrriage seems to be towards them When he chides he loves when he hides he loves 1. When he chides he loves Rev. 3. 19. He chastens yet he loves Heb. 12. 6. He visits with the Rod yet still loves Psal 89. 30 31 32 33. 2. When he hides he loves Isa 54. 7 8 10. For his iniquity I was wroth and smote him I hid me says God Isa 57. 16 17 18. It seems as if it was God's Expectation that he should turn But did he turn No he went on frowardly in the way of his Heart What might we expect that the Lord should say now but that I will take away my Love for ever I will curse him Plague him Damn him But is it so No he loves still Oh to be admired Love See what follows in ver 18. I will heal him yea and restore comforts to him and to his mourners too 2. It is permanent and abiding Love lasting yea everlasting Love It reaches from Eternity to Eternity from eternal Chusi● to eternal Glorifying an unchangeable Love Though Christ's Face change sometime smile sometimes frown though his Hand his Actions change sometimes Hand-mercies Comforts sometimes Hand-strokes yet his Heart never changes whom he loves he loves to the end Joh. 13 1. II. Why Christ loves Believers with such a surpassing Love 1. Because these are they on whom the Riches of Grace shall be advanced for ever This is the great and glorious Design that was upon God's Heart from all Eternity to advance the Riches of his Grace in Christ upon poor Sinners Now these are the Souls that this glorious Design shall be advanced on and they must needs be beloved Ones that serve for the advancement of this glorious Design God may magnifie his Justice upon Persons and yet hate them but he never magnifies his Mercy and Grace on any but he loves them O Believers all the great things that ever God did was for You Creation was for you Christ for you Redemption was for you That 's the first Reason why Believers are so beloved 〈◊〉 because they are Persons set apart to advance the Riches of God● Grace in Christ Psal 4. 3. These are they the Lord set apart fo● himself for himself to enjoy for himself to converse with for himself to delight in to all Eternity 2. Because they are lovely in his sight not as they are in themselves but as they are in him by his Righteousness imputed his Graces communicated Cant. 4. 1. Behold thou art fair my Love behold thou art fair 1. By his Righteousness imputed Christ is made Righteousness to them 1 Cor. 1. 30. And they are made Righteous accounted Righteous